The Chicago Bears' cornerback room will not be discussed as the most interesting training camp battle by most, but there are a lot of compelling underlying storylines that are worth following. Benjamin Solak of ESPN noted that an underrated training camp battle could be Tyrique Stevenson against fourth-round rookie Malik Muhammad.Â
Do the Chicago Bears have a training camp battle at cornerback?
It is easy to see why Solak would project this to be a battle. Stevenson started his career strongly, but has not been nearly as trustworthy in the past two years. Last year, when Jaylon Johnson was healthy, Stevenson was the odd man out on the outside with Johnson and Nahshon Wright being viewed as the Bears' best two options on the outside.
Wright is gone, but now that Stevenson is entering a contract year, Solak believes that Muhammad has just as good a chance to push him.
Muhammad will be worth following during the summer in his own right, not only because he is a rookie who could start, but also to see where he aligns. Muhammad played outside in college but slipped to round 4 because some scouts believe he might have too small a frame to hold up on the outside in the NFL.
The Bears took a shot on him, but they are also giving him work in the slot this offseason. It could just be to get him familiar with the position, and because fourth-round picks need versatility. It could also be because they want him to step in for Kyler Gordon at some point, and they view him as a legitimate slot option down the road.
If Muhammad spends his summer competing in the slot, he will not be pushing Stevenson on the outside. Even if he does not push Stevenson, a dark-horse name to watch is Terell Smith. Smith is in his fourth NFL season as well.Â
He played sparingly as a rookie, but started to split time with Stevenson in year two when Stevenson was in the dog house. The issue is that Smith missed all of his third NFL season with an injury. He is back and healthy now, but there is a new coaching staff.Â
Did they see the development of Smith in his first two years? Could he be the one to push Stevenson and not Muhammad? The development of Smith, Stevenson, and Muhammad will make for an exciting summer.
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